In the Beginning
by Anonymous13 B
Summary: Simba is the Prince of the Pridelands, and when one day he yearns for a friend, his life is changed forever. Story is better than summary.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, dear readers! This is the very beginning of a new series titled _The Lion King Tales_! This series will attempt to carry on the legacy of _The Lion King Adventures_, but it will definitely be its own unique series.

I would love to thank everyone who has given me advice and encouragement via PM messages, and I hope you enjoy this series. Without further ado, here is _The Lion King Tales_!

* * *

**In the Beginning**

**Chapter One: The Pridelands**

If there was one place on Earth that could be called a paradise, it was the Pridelands. The grass was the brightest shade of green, the sky was always blue, and the entire kingdom was filled with life.

Zebra and antelope herds bounded across the grasslands as they fed on the luscious plants; giraffes and elephants towered over the savannah; birds flew through the endless sky, and the lions; the rulers of this kingdom, led lives of luxury.

But the most magnificent part of the Pridelands was its main landmark, a massive monolith that towered over every noticeable part of the savannah.

Pride Rock.

Pride Rock was the home of the lions, including the many kings that had ruled over the kingdom. Like all of the other kingdoms, the Pridelands had been ruled by a great many kings, but the three most recent kings were the ones that had brought the most life and joy to the Pridelands.

First in this line was Mohatu, sometimes speculated to be the most enormous lion that ever lived. He guided the Pridelands and its residents through many trials and tribulations, and his golden-furred son Ahadi, though a harsher individual than his father, carried on this legacy. Ahadi had two sons, Mufasa and Taka, but picked Mufasa as his successor. Mufasa, the currently reigning king, would prove to be an even better ruler than either of his predecessors.

At this moment, Mufasa slept in the den inside Pride Rock, directly next to his mate and queen, Sarabi. Sarabi was a magnificent lioness, fit to be queen, and her soft, honey-like voice perfectly complimented the impressive baritone that characterized Mufasa. But as the king and queen slept, someone else was wide awake.

* * *

At the very edge of Pride Rock, a golden cub sat watching the sunrise. He was a typical-looking cub, thin but with some muscle, with golden fur that sparkled in the sunlight. His face bore a smirk, as it almost always did, and right now that smirk embodied his thoughts as he watched the kingdom slowly light up.

"All of this will be mine one day," he whispered to himself. "It's so beautiful. If I could be prince of any kingdom, this would be it."

This was Prince Simba, Mufasa and Sarabi's only cub. Noticing that his parents still were not awake, he bounded down the side of Pride Rock, eager to explore the kingdom.

* * *

As Simba made his way to the waterhole, looking at the beautiful sights before him, he realized something.

"It would be nice to share this with someone, wouldn't it? But I don't have any friends. There's so many cubs in this pride! I'm sure I could make friends with someone!"

As he lapped up the cold blue water, wondering how he might go about making friends, he raised his eyebrows as an idea dawned on him.

"I know just who to ask!"

He then ran straight towards a large rock formation not far from Pride Rock. As it was, Simba did have one friend, but because said friend was a family member, not to mention an adult, Simba had never really thought of him that way. Nonetheless, Simba knew that his "friend" would be able to help him befriend the other cubs.

* * *

On a high cliff, a lanky red lion with a glossy black mane was watching over the kingdom with a scornful eye. This was none other than Taka, Mufasa's younger brother, though an accident several years ago had left him with another name…

"Hey Uncle Scar!" a distinctive high-pitched voice shouted. Scar gritted his teeth. He didn't exactly wish to be disturbed at this moment, especially by his annoying little nephew, but he felt obliged to interact with him nonetheless.

_Oh what does that little golden insect want now?_ Scar asked himself disdainfully. _Can't he leave his poor old uncle be for at least another hour?_

Simba bounded over to his uncle with a massive smile on his face. How Scar _loathed_ that smile. Despite this, he put on a smile of his own.

"How is my favorite little nephew this morning?"

"Good," Simba answered. "But I have a question, Uncle Scar. We both know you're basically my best friend besides Dad, but how do you make real friends? You know, friends with cubs your own age?"

Scar raised his eyebrow at this. Why would Simba be asking _him_? Scar had no friends to speak of, unless his wife and cubs counted. He hated the word itself with a passion. However, he decided to give Simba some advice. It would give him more time for sleep, at least.

"Well Simba," he began in his characteristic drawl, "you could try several things. You could just approach cubs and tell them you're going to be the King. Then they have to respect you! If that doesn't work, you'll have to figure out something else."

"How did Dad make friends?" Simba asked. Simba was rather fond of Mufasa, and often followed his example on matters such as this.

Scar began to think back to when he and Mufasa were cubs, a time he tried desperately to forget. Although he could not fully remember how well it had worked for his brother, Scar did recall one method, and decided to pass it down to Simba.

"My dear nephew, your father simply watched prospective acquaintances to figure out the best way to approach them. It meant different circumstances for different friends, but if I remember correctly, it worked out fairly well. He met your mother that way, I do know that."

Simba then smiled a bigger smile than before, and as he bounded away, he turned around and shouted, "Thanks Uncle Scar!"

As he watched his nephew embark on the attempt to find a friend, Scar finally flopped over on his side and began to fall asleep.

_Now that he's gone_, Scar thought, _I can get back to dreaming about the time I got Mufasa stuck in quicksand_…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Angel and Devil**

Sarabi was now awake, and as Mufasa patrolled the borders, the queen sat talking to her best friend, Sarafina. Sarafina was a young and beautiful lioness, tan and smooth, with shining green eyes that conveyed extreme benevolence. Right now she was lying on her side, basking in the sun, as Sarabi leaned over a rock.

"Sarafina," Sarabi began, "I'm a bit worried about my little Simba. He doesn't have any friends, and I fear he'll use the 'I'm gonna be king' tactic. It never works. It certainly didn't work for Scar."

Sarafina had worries of her own as well. "I'm a little concerned about Nala too. She'll get plenty of male attention, but how will the girl cubs react? And how will she know which boys actually care about her as opposed to wanting her as a trophy?"

Sarabi reassured her friend, "Do not worry about her. She's a tough little girl. She certainly has more fire than you and I did at that age."

Sarafina countered, "Oh, you were quite the little tomboy too, Sarabi."

"Only compared to you when we went to the jungle that time," Sarabi responded. "You wouldn't even touch a flower for fear that acid would seep out of it."

Sarafina laughed, "Oh you sure know how to embarrass people, don't you, Sarabi?"

"Yes," Sarabi conceded. "I suppose I do."

* * *

Simba was on his way back to the waterhole, and he noticed that there was now a whole congregation of cubs chattering on about nonsense that Simba could never possibly care about.

Simba could never comprehend why cubs would rather sit and gossip all day instead of, say, exploring the Pridelands and outside regions. He scanned the massive crowd of cubs, searching for anyone he might be interested in making friends with. Then, in an instant, there was something that caught Simba's full attention. His eyes widened, and he could not believe what he saw.

Across the waterhole, on the side that wasn't crowded, sat a female cub about Simba's size, with smooth tan fur, a slim body, and the most beautiful face Simba had ever seen. She was lying on a rock, staring into the water listlessly.

"She must be an angel," Simba whispered to himself. "No mere cub could be like this!"

Simba then knew he absolutely had to try and make friends with her. He knew there would be risks, but Simba was a bold and impulsive cub. He would try the riskiest, most dangerous endeavors possible, and this was no exception.

He slowly crawled towards her so as not to be seen, creeping at a tortoise's pace, but finally he approached her from behind. Once he was close enough that he could touch her, he simply said, "Hi."

The girl turned around slowly, and smiled. She had seen quite a few boy cubs, but this one was different. Most of them were tough and distant, but this one seemed friendly and outgoing. She rose herself and climbed down the rock towards Simba.

"Hi! What's your name?"

"Prince Simba!" Simba responded, putting a paw to his chest.

The girl giggled slightly. "Well, Prince Simba, do you want me to always greet you with such a high and mighty title, Your Highness?"

She bowed in a manner that was clearly satirical, and Simba laughed.

"No," he answered. "You can just call me Simba."

"Okay then. My name's Nala."

_Nala_, Simba said to himself, a dazed smile on his face. Her voice was as angelic as her appearance, but the name said it all.

"So," Simba asked, "what kind of things do you like doing?"

"Not that," Nala answered as she pointed to the chattering crowd of cubs at the other sider of the waterhole. "I'd much prefer to explore, but nobody wants to do that with me."

"Same here!" Simba answered. "I love exploring too! One day they'll call me 'The Explorer King!'"

Nala smiled. Simba sure was eager to be king. Shouldn't he enjoy his time beforehand?

"Simba," she pointed out, "you do know that once you're king, you're gonna have to do things like the adults do? Enjoy being a cub. This is the time where you and I get to just play and run around."

"You're right," Simba decided. "I'll still be the best king, though!"

"You know what?" Nala asked.

"What?"

"I think you're right."

As the two cubs sat in silence, their peace was disturbed by a shout.

"Hey! Who's this?"

Simba turned around as Nala stared straight ahead. Approaching them was another cub, slightly smaller than either Simba or Nala, with dull greyish-white fur and a thin build, as well as a slightly drawn-out face and greenish-blue eyes. He wore a cold, critical expression on his face as he walked towards the two cubs.

"Mheetu," Nala sighed. Mheetu was Nala's younger brother, and while he adored his sister and mother, he bore a strong dislike for most other animals. He spoke in a high-pitched, yet eloquent and refined voice, which conveyed his sophisticated mindset.

"Nala, I do dearly hope that you're not trying to bring some other person into our lives. You, me and Mom are a nice little family. We don't need to bring some other cub into it."

"Mheetu," Nala snarled, "_Simba_ is a friend. He likes doing the same things I do, unlike you, since all you want to do is torture mice. If I have just one friend, then you don't have to listen to me complain all the time about all of your weird little habits!"

"Wait a minute," Mheetu gasped. "Did you say this kid's name is Simba? As in _Prince_ Simba?"

"That's me!" Simba smiled proudly.

Mheetu smiled a smile that reminded Simba very much of his Uncle Scar as he pondered this revelation.

_If Nala starts hanging out with this guy_, Mheetu reasoned, _then maybe they'll fall in love and she'll be the next queen! And when that happens, I'll have great power but no responsibility! This will be PERFECT!_

Mheetu then spoke again to the two cubs. "Very well, Nala. I have reconsidered my earlier views and shall consent to the friendship between you and our beloved little royal. Now, I must excuse myself to torture more mice."

Mheetu then sprang away through the grass, and Simba turned to Nala.

"Well, with that settled," he asked, "are we friends?"

"Yes, Simba," Nala answered. "Best friends."

* * *

Well, what did you think? Send reviews, please. It's incredibly easy; you don't even need an account. And I should know!

It seems Simba and Nala have become fast friends, doesn't it? And what about that Mheetu? He's not exactly the most moral cub, is he? Tune in tomorrow, because we've got even more cubs to meet!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the late posting. I had something of a rough day…got home late…I really don't wish to waste time on details. On a more positive note, I am very pleasantly surprised by the reception the first two chapters have received! It seems that Mheetu has quickly become the most popular character so far! You won't see him much these two chapters, but he's definitely one of the main characters in this series.

**Kora22:** Our two Mheetus are very different, aren't they? I've seen him interpreted a number of different ways, so I felt I could put my own spin on this obscure little cub.

**ThatPersonYouMightKnow:** Thank you for the advice. I will be sure to prevent that oversight from occurring again. By the way, I find it a high honor that you like my series thus far!

**WordFighter:** First story? Not by a long shot. I've written hundreds of original stories. This is just my first published work, and my first fanfic.

**Haradion:** Again, thank you for the advice. I think these two chapters will be more suited towards your liking. It seems both you and yeti1995 have noticed some parallels between Mheetu and Scar. I'm glad you two mentioned him; he gets no love in the fanfiction community…

* * *

**Chapter Three: Meet the Boys**

Simba and Nala slowly stretched their paws before walking away from the small rock. The two cubs had no desire to remain by the others, but instead wished to begin their exploring.

After they had walked some distance from the waterhole, the two cubs decided they ought to play a game.

Simba asked, "What kind of games do you like playing, Nala?"

Nala turned and smiled sweetly, though Simba could sense that she was hiding something behind those sparkling little eyes. She answered, "Have you ever heard of 'Pinned Ya?'"

"No," Simba answered, scratching the back of his neck with his claws. "How do you play it?"

"Well," Nala elaborated, "you launch yourself at the cub you're playing with, then you and the other cub roll along the ground for a little bit. Then, you have to trap the other cub between you and the ground."

As she explained the game, Nala moved closer and closer to Simba, swaying from side to side as she did so.

Simba was too distracted by this to prepare for his new friend suddenly leaping through the air and tackling him. The two cubs rolled through the grass, playfully roaring at each other, until Simba felt Nala use her front paws to push hard on his chest. He landed on his back with a thud, and cried out.

Nala stood over him triumphantly, and shouted, "Ha! Pinned Ya!"

Under his breath, Simba groaned, "Ugh…I was beaten by a girl…"

"What was that?" Nala asked in a knowing tone of voice.

"I got the wind knocked out of me," Simba lied.

"Hey, look at that!" a voice cried out. Simba winced, for he could instantly tell it was another male cub. He turned his head, and he beheld not one, not two, but three male cubs, all about his age.

The cub that had spoken, clearly the leader of the three, was a dark brown cub with a somewhat thicker body than Simba, as well as a pronounced tuft on his head that was more than just three tiny little hairs. Simba took a close look at this cub. He seemed nice, even if Simba felt a little embarrassed by his untimely intrusion.

"Nala, get off me," Simba grunted. Nala complied, and lifted herself off of her new best friend. Simba stood straight up and faced the trio.

The brown cub was flanked by the two other cubs, one on each side. On the left side stood a cub that resembled Simba, however, his fur was honey-colored, and his bright blue eyes were a sharp contrast to Simba's auburn pair. On the right side stood a cub that was slightly larger than either of the others, a cub who had dull orange fur and a thick black tuft of fur on his head.

"Sorry for not introducing myself," the brown cub stated. "My name's Chumvi. To my left is Tojo, and this is Malka."

Chumvi extended his paw, and Simba shook it with confidence. Tojo extended his honey-colored paw and commented, "We sure look a lot like each other. Are you sure we're not related somehow?"

Simba answered, "Yeah. We would have met before if you were."

Malka then approached Simba, shaking his black mane as he did so. He explained, "I came here from another pride a few days ago. I'll tell you about that some other time. You're the prince, right?"

"Yep," Simba responded. "Prince Simba. And this is Nala."

Malka sighed at the mention of her name. He then asked, "You guys wanna play tag with us?"

Simba glanced at Nala. "Do you want to?"

She eagerly nodded, and the cubs began chasing each other around, laughing and yowling the whole time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Kula and Tama**

By the time the five new cubs had finished playing tag, afternoon had arrived, and the cubs felt like relaxing.

"Let's go back down to the waterhole," Malka suggested.  
"I'd love a nice drink of water."

"So would I," Tojo concurred.

"I wouldn't mind having a drink too," Nala commented.

"Same here!" Simba added.

Chumvi laughed, "Maybe we can see some cute girl cubs while we're down there!"

Tojo immediately chastised his friend. "Chumvi, all you ever do is think about girls. You could, I don't know, engage in birdwatching instead. Ever thought of that?"

Chumvi smiled, "I don't get why you're so obsessed with birds. I find other animals kind of weird, myself. Like elephants, with those noses hanging down like that!" He then proceeded to walk in a pompous manner while swaying his head side to side. Nala and the others laughed at this pathetic attempt at imitating the mighty pachyderms.

Simba interjected, "Enough of this nonsense. Let's just head on down there. Then you three can get all of the water, birds and girls you could possibly want."

With that, the five resumed their short trip to the waterhole.

* * *

Sarafina was still sunning herself when she felt a familiar set of small paws begin climbing on her belly. She groggily rose from her sleep to find Mheetu resting on her stomach.

"Oh hey sweetie," she smiled. Her little son looked very pleased with himself, and she wanted to know all about it.

"Hi Mom. Do you know how many mice I've gotten today?"

"How many?"

"62."

"Oh wow! You're getting to be quite the little hunter, aren't you?"

"Yep."

"How's your sister? Have you seen her at all?"

"Oh yes. She's found herself a little friend, actually."

Sarafina then smiled, her expression conveying how overjoyed she was.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" she asked excitedly.

"It's a boy," Mheetu answered with mild enthusiasm. "At first I wasn't too happy about it—you never know about these things—but, it turns out he's the prince!"

"Oh wow! Sarabi and I were talking about him earlier. She says he's been having a tough time finding friends, too. I guess it makes sense for them to be friends. They've got so much in common."

"Nala said she wouldn't complain about all the stuff I do if I let her hang out with Simba, so I obliged."

"Well, you did a very nice thing then, Mheetu."

* * *

When the cubs arrived at the waterhole, they walked to the same small rock where Simba and Nala had met only a few hours before. Only, there were two other cubs sitting there, talking with each other.

"Whoa ho ho!" Chumvi laughed. "They're both girls! Although that brown one is a lot prettier than that other one with a tuft on her forehead."

"I don't know…" Tojo muttered under his breath as they walked toward the two girls.

As the two girls sat talking, they looked up and noticed the little entourage coming towards them. The brown one was the first to greet them.

"Hi guys! What are your names?"

Simba decided to introduce them. "I'm Simba, Prince of the Pride Lands! This is Chumvi, Tojo, Malka, and Nala."

The brown cub smiled before responding, "It's very nice to meet all of you. My name's Kula, and this is Tama."

Simba carefully examined both of them. He didn't find either of them attractive the way he did Nala, but Kula seemed nice. However, he was not so sure about Tama. She had greyish-yellow fur in addition to her tuft, and she wore something of a scowl on her face.

_She reminds me of Vitani_, Simba thought to himself. _How could Uncle Scar have such a horrible daughter when he's so awesome?_

Simba shook his head to clear these thoughts, and simply sat down as Tama slowly approached the group. She managed a small smile before asking, "Do you guys wanna do something? It gets a little dull here at the waterhole."

"Yeah!" the others shouted before turning to Simba.

"Since you're the Prince, what do you think we should do?" Chumvi asked.

Simba smirked, and turned to the others before declaring, "Saddle up, guys! We're gonna go on an adventure!"

* * *

Well, we've met the whole gang now! What do you think? Do they seem interesting? And what of that brief reference to Vitani? That might be important later…

Anyway, tune in tomorrow, as it's time for the cubs to go on their first adventure!


	5. Chapter 5

Seems you guys are eager for the cubs to begin their adventure, eh? Well here it is!

**yeti1995:** Yes, they each have a crush on someone else. Except for Mheetu, that is. I don't think he's such a lovey-dovey cub at this point.

**Kora22:** I'm glad I gave your morning a nice start. And no, Simba definitely does not know his uncle is a twisted sociopath.

**Emerald dreamer96:** Scar's cubs have indeed moved up a generation. I figured I'd spice things up that way. Simba and Vitani never interact in the second film, and their cub selves would be very interesting opponents…

**Greg M 94:** Chumvi is probably Simba's "best" friend besides Nala in this series. As for Tama, I think she'll be somewhere in the middle in terms of her personality. She's a little more like she was in the original comic she appeared in, where she's grouchy but not really evil, especially compared to Mheetu. And yes, we will eventually see Tojo's birds. I don't know quite when, but we will.

**Chapter Five: The First Adventure**

"Where are we gonna go, 'Explorer King?'" Nala asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well…" Simba pondered as he put a paw to his chin, "We could go to the termite mounds a couple miles up."

"Nah, I've been there already," Chumvi complained. "Malka dragged Tojo and I there only a few days ago."

"Yeah, it was really boring," Tojo agreed.

"Well," Kula asked, "where else could we go?"

Simba smiled. The wheels were turning in his head. He knew of the perfect destination.

* * *

Two days ago, Simba had gone patrolling with Mufasa, and after they had returned, Mufasa left Scar in charge of the small cub.

"Hey Uncle Scar!" Simba chirped. "Guess what Dad and I saw today?"

"A giant patch of grass and aimless prey animals?" Scar inquired.

"Nope," Simba answered. "We went to the very edge of the kingdom, and there was this cool grey area filled with bones, but Dad said I shouldn't go in there. He never gave a reason why."

"Ah, the Elephant Graveyard," Scar smiled. "It used to be considered a rite of passage to go in there."

"Really?" Simba asked, his smile wide and bright.

"Yes," Scar responded. "A cub is very much on his way to becoming a lion once he enters that place. At least, that's how it used to be."

Simba smirked, his eyes darting back and forth.

"Oh, I know that look," Scar commented. "You're thinking of going, aren't you? Well I can tell you this, my little nephew: It's much more dangerous than it used to be, so I wouldn't advise you go in there now. Please do me that one small favor."

Simba smiled again, "Of course! Anything for you, Uncle Scar!"

* * *

Truth to be told, Simba had forgotten all about that incident, but now that he had assembled his little exploring crew, the golden cub felt more confident. Surely it couldn't be too dangerous for seven cubs to handle?

He turned to face the cubs, crouched to the ground, tail switching, with a bold smile on his face.

"We're going…to the Elephant Graveyard!"

Fortunately for Simba, there was no one else around but himself and the others, otherwise he would have been in an unfortunate predicament.

Chumvi asked, "What's at the Elephant Graveyard?"

"I've heard there's monsters with sharp teeth!" Tojo squeaked.

"No, there's big green fountains that'll burn you to death!" Malka countered.

The girls shook their heads as the boys argued, and Simba finally shouted, "If we don't get going, we're never gonna know, are we?"

"Right," they all responded at the same time.

"I thought so," Simba smiled to himself. "Well, let's get going!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: The Graveyard**

The sun was just beginning to set as the collection of cubs reached the very edge of the Pride Lands.

"Well," Simba sighed, "This is it. Take a good look, cubs."

Before them was a massive expanse of ash-grey dirt and dust, littered with the enormous skeletons of past pachyderms. Simba had to admit that some of those skeletons looked ridiculously large…

It was the perfect vision of death, and it seemed extremely foreboding, yet alluring at the same time.

"Come on!" Simba shouted as he hopped into the Graveyard. "Light's not gonna last long!"

One by one, the cubs followed their leader. Chumvi was first, followd by Tama and Tojo. Nala was next, with Kula right behind her. Malka hesistated, shifting his paws back and forth.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea, guys," he stammered.

Tojo turned around and explained, "Malka, if I can come down here, you should be able to. When the cautious cub gives his consent, shouldn't that be a good sign?"

"I guess," Malka shrugged as he slowly walked into the sinister grey pit. _He only went in because of Tama_, he thought to himself.

Simba was at the front of the group, with Nala directly next to him. He turned and smiled at her, "Isn't this great?"

"It's kind of creepy, but you're right. There's a cool side to it."

As the two cubs walked, they bumped into a smaller skull that appeared to be from an antelope of some sort. Nala examined it closely.

"I bet Mheetu would like this place," she commented. "He's a pretty morbid little cub."

"I'm not surprised," Simba responded as he dragged a claw across the front of the skull.

"What'd you do that for, Simba?" Nala asked.

"Just a little mark to show we were here," Simba answered.

Tojo leaned into Chumvi's ear and whispered, "I'm beginning to question his sanity."

Tama leaned into Tojo's ear and whispered, "Same here."

_Well, at least we have something in common_, Tojo thought.

Kula decided to cut in between Chumvi and Tojo, squeezing herself between the two male cubs. Tojo moved aside, enabling him to be a little closer to Tama. She scowled at him, and he moved away from her so as to give the sour cub her much-needed space while still being close to her.

"It's kind of dull here," Tama remarked. "Nothing but dust and dry bones."

"These skeletons are super cool!" Chumvi exclaimed. "I mean, look at these! They're so huge! That's the biggest animal I've ever seen!"

Nala raised her eyebrow and smiled, "I thought you said elephants were weird."

"They are," Chumvi responded, "but that doesn't mean these skulls aren't cool. I don't even have to make my point; the sight speaks for itself."

"Indeed, I would have to vouch for his position," Tojo chimed in.

"Yeah!" Simba exclaimed. "Who wouldn't find this cool, besides Tama?"

No one said anything.

"My point exactly," Simba smiled in a self-satisfied way.

The cubs continued walking, and they decided to climb a tall ledge to have a better look at the graveyard.

"I bet this place has been a death trap for ages," Simba smiled.

No sooner than he had said this, bone-chilling laughter filled the air, the high-pitched yelping causing the cubs to sit frozen with fear.

"Yeah it's a death trap all right!" a female voice cackled. "And now you're in it!"

* * *

Wow! My first cliffhanger! I know, I know. Why the Elephant Graveyard, of all possible places? Well, I figured it would be good to place the cubs in a familiar scenario before they start engaging in wilder escapades. Plus, I figured they'd have to see it at some point. My thought was, why not just get it over with? It's the perfect way to introduce the hyenas. Meet them in their own element. Like _The Hobbit_, with Gollum in that little cave. Much scarier than in _Lord of the Rings_. Ironically enough, I am off to go watch a movie starring Neve Campbell(Kiara). At any rate, I'm sure you're all looking forward to our cackling conclusion!


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the delay! I've been busy the past couple of days. And by the way, we didn't watch the Neve Campbell movie. Turns out we don't own it. Anyway, I'm sure you're all eager to see how the cubs face off against their first adversaries!

**kora22:** I think it's gonna be a while before Tojo has the courage to try and impress Tama. For now, he's content just being by her side, even if she ignores him.

**Greg M 94:** They do seem outmatched, not in numbers, but certainly in strength. Let's see how they get out of this situation.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Hyenas**

The cubs turned slowly, not wanting to behold the sinister creatures behind them. Simba, being the brave one, was the first to take a good look at the hyenas, of which there were three. The one that had spoken, the female, was a dark grey creature with large ears, black bangs and a malicious grin. She was clearly the matriarch, and her two male attendants joined her in staring sinisterly at the cubs.

While Simba concentrated on the clan leader, Chumvi stared at the tough-looking male to her right. This hyena had a grin even more ominous than his female counterpart, and while he lacked her black bangs, he made up for it with exceptionally thick eyebrows.

Nala, on the other hand, focused on the other male. Unlike the other two, this third hyena did not seem very bright, a fact made clear by his lolling tongue and bulging eyes. She was frozen in place, completely terrified by the three advancing hyenas.

"What are y'all doing here?" asked the female as she leaned her head towards the cubs. "You wouldn't be intruding upon us, now would you?"

Tojo stammered, "N-n-no, Mrs. Uh…"

"Shenzi," the hyena responded. "My name is Shenzi, and I rule this graveyard. Over here is Banzai, and the one with the tongue is Ed."

_Ed?_ Simba asked himself. _That's an odd name. Then again, he seems kind of odd anyway…_

"You know Shenzi, I was just thinking, we could have ourselves a _crème-de-la-cub_!" Banzai snarled.

"Yeah, then we can really CHOW DOWN!" Shenzi howled.

Ed laughed maniacally, "Oh heh heh heh heh heh!"

Nala shuddered again. Just hearing him laugh made her want to squeal in fear. But she was a brave cub, and she knew she, like Simba, had to stay strong for the sake of the group. They were, after all, the leaders. They had to take charge against the slobbering brutes.

"Well, c'mon Shenzi!" Banzai yelled. "I'm tired of all of us just standing around like a herd of slowly dying buffalo! I wanna EAT!"

"And eat we will," Shenzi smiled as she leapt at the cubs.

"RUN!" Simba yelled as the cubs began to flee from the pursuing predator.

Simba and Nala ran at the very front, with Chumvi and Kula behind them, followed in turn by Tama, Tojo, and Malka. Malka turned around and noticed that the hyenas were quickly catching up.

"Uh, hey guys," Malka stammered, "we're gonna have to run faster!"

"There's a skeleton up this way!" Simba shouted as they continued to flee.

When they approached the enormous skeleton, the cubs climbed up the gargantuan elephant skull, using the enormous empty hole that would have been the animal's trunk socket as a grip. Simba and Nala hid in the hole, helping up the others one by one before finally sliding out and joining them.

It did not take long for the terrible trio to catch up to them, and once they did, they stopped.

"Shenzi, they're going down the spine! We're too big to do that and land smoothly!"

"Then let's get off this skull and meet them at the other side!" Shenzi barked back at Banzai. Ed laughed again as they jumped off the gigantic skull.

The cubs continued running in terror. Would their first day as a group be their last day on Earth?

_I could have just relaxed with Kula and not come on this dumb little trek_, Tama scowled to herself.

_I could be watching birds right now_, Tojo thought.

_I wish Simba had gone by himself. Then I could have just stayed with Nala_, Malka thought to himself.

_How I wish I could be eating a nice zebra carcass_, Kula sighed.

_What a pity this adventure turned out this way_, Chumvi reflected as he shook his head.

_Why couldn't Simba have taken us somewhere else?_ Nala asked herself. _We would have been a great team…_

And, of course, Simba was having thoughts of his own.

_We shouldn't have come here_, he realized. _I lead us all into this. We could have gone on tons of adventures. Nala and I could have been something. We would have made an awesome king and queen. But nope, I just had to take us all here. I'm the reason we're all going to die._

He abruptly stopped running as soon at this. He shook his head, and he smiled brightly, shouting his next thought loud and clear.

"We're not gonna die, not today!"

As soon as he said this, he bolted towards a nearby cavern, with everyone following as fast as possible. They could tell the hyenas were not far behind, but this did not stop them in the slightest.

Once they entered the cave, the cubs gasped in awe. The entire place glowed bright green, including the rock and walls. The entire floor of the cavern was covered in large, tube-shaped rocks filled with glowing green liquid, which occasionally blew out in the form of great glowing geysers.

"How are we gonna get through THAT?" Chumvi asked.

"We'll find a way!" Simba declared. "Come on!"

The cubs decided to go for it and zip through the maze of fountains, even though the cackling hyenas were not deterred in the slightest.

"You think those geysers scare us?" Shenzi asked mockingly. "This place is our home! We aren't scared of anything here!"

"You should be," a female voice yelled.

A terrifying roar then echoed through the cavern, sending a chill through cub and hyena alike, as Mufasa leapt into the geyser maze and savagely attacked the hyenas. The cubs slowly walked away, only to discover the entire pride joining Mufasa in attacking the insolent mongrels. Simba ducked very low to the ground, for he knew exactly what would happen once the pride was finished.

After about five minutes of fighting, Mufasa and the lionesses stood triumphant over three broken and battered hyenas, all of them covered in blood and bruises.

"If you were on my lands I would have you executed," Mufasa growled, "but by general law I cannot do it here. Let this be a lesson to you. If you _ever_ touch any of those cubs again, I will make sure all three of you pay for it."

Mufasa nodded, and the lionesses walked towards the beaten hyenas. Sarabi swiped her paw at Shenzi's head, Sarafina did the same to Banzai, and another lioness repeated the action with Ed. All three hyenas were on the ground, unconscious.

"Come on out, cubs," Mufasa grumbled. "Let's go home."

One by one, all seven of the cubs slid silently out of their hiding place. Not one of them dared to look any one adult in the eye. Instead, all of them simply stared at the ground as they followed the adults home.

* * *

Back at the den at Pride Rock, all of the cubs sat in a semi-circle as Mufasa lectured them.

"Going to the Elephant Graveyard was one of the last things you should have done! I don't know what inspired you to go, but I'm going to find out."

Simba meekly raised his paw in the air.

"Um, Dad?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Simba?" Mufasa turned to look at Simba, his expression softening slightly.

"A couple days ago, Uncle Scar told me it used to be a rite of passage to go to the Elephant Graveyard. He said a cub is on his way to becoming a lion if he goes there."

"Thank you, Simba. That was indeed true at one point, but not anymore. I'll talk to him about that. But that doesn't mean you guys get off easy. Cubs make mistakes, I'll grant you that. I did too. More than you guys hopefully will. I'm hoping this will be a lesson for you all. You're all bright cubs, and hopefully you'll make better choices in the future. You guys will be grounded for three days in the small cave, but at least you'll be together. But you can all say goodnight to your families first."

As Simba nuzzled Sarabi's leg, Nala visited Sarafina and Mheetu while the others bid their own mothers goodnight.

"I'm sorry, guys," she sniffled to both of them.

"You better be sorry," Mheetu snarled. "I love you, sis, but you've disgraced me. I'm glad I don't have to go with you."

"Mheetu!" Sarafina snapped.

"It's okay, Mom," Nala smiled as she pranced off into the night to join her friends. Mheetu frowned as she left.

* * *

Back at the Elephant Graveyard, the hyenas slowly began to wake up, rubbing their heads with their paws.

"Oh, I feel horrible," Banzai moaned. "That lousy Mufasa!"

"You're telling me!" Shenzi whined. "My beautiful cheeks are covered in scratches!"

Ed simply giggled as usual, unaware even of his own injuries.

"Seems you three didn't do your job," a voice boomed in the cavern. The hyenas looked up to see a lion sitting on a high ledge above them. It was none other than Scar.

"Scar, old buddy old pal, you gotta understand," Banzai panted.

"I don't, actually," Scar drawled.

"Well, Mufasa and the whole pride came in just as we were about to kill them," Banzai explained. "He says that if we ever touch them again, he'll kill us!"

"Oh, won't that be a sad day," Scar grumbled as he walked away. "Those fools will be of use some day," he vowed.

* * *

At the base of Pride Rock was a small cave, a cave just large enough to fit seven cubs crammed together, watching as rain began pouring down.

"I heard Dad talking to Mom earlier when the rain started," Simba explained to Nala. "He says he went and saw somebody to make it rain for three days so we wouldn't feel as bad."

"It's probably to prevent us from being tempted to sneak out," Tojo observed.

"Probably, but that's still really nice of him," Nala pointed out. "I can't think of many kings—or fathers—who would do that."

Simba smiled. He knew she was right. Mufasa was a great father.

"Well," Simba smiled, "should we try to go to sleep?"

"Yep!" all of the cubs answered.

"Good night!" Simba shouted.

"Good night!" everyone shouted back.

As the cubs settled down to sleep, they dreamed about their exciting day, and the amazing adventures they would have in the future.

For there would be many.

* * *

Wow! The first story's done! That was a long final chapter! What did you guys think? Did you like it? Were the hyenas good? Was Mufasa too mean? Too nice? Or just right? Feel free to review!

**Next Time:** After serving their sentence for the Graveyard incident, the cubs are eager to go outside and have a relaxing day. But Simba's evil cousins have a very different plan in mind…


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